Potato-seed-cutting machine



APPLICATIN FILED FEB. 20, 1922.

Patented Dec. 12, 1922.`

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E. L. JOHNSON. PQTATO SEED CUTTING MACHINE. APPLICATIQN- FILED FEB. 20, 1922.

S14/vento@ E. L. JOHNSON. PO'IATO SEED CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 20, 1922.

Patented Dec. 12, 1922.

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POTATO-SEEIDnCUTTING EACEINE..

application sied February a0, ieee.

Be it known that l, Frick L. Jorrrisort, a citizen of the United S residingrat Detroit, in the cointy Becker and State onf vlinnesota, have invented y and useul improvements in Potato-t ting- Machines, i@ which the :tolloxving speciication.

r1`his invention relates to potato seed ting machines and 'the main object is to provide an eliicicnt and practical machine for cutting potatoes of various sizes shapes up into substantially uniform and suitable sizes for seed purposes. Futher objects 'will be disclosed in the course of the Yfollowing speciication, Will be speciiically and pzuticn nlarly pointed out in the claims appended hereto, and are clearly illustrated in the accompai'iyino,` drawings, wherein:

1 is a front elevation o'f the machine, certain parts being removed or broken away Jor illustration purposes.

Fig. f2 is a top view of the machine.

3 is an end elevation ot the machine, as seen from the lett in Fia'. 2.

Fig. t is itractional detail view oit the cuttingy blades and their supports, seen from above.

Fig. 5 is a detail vievv ot the conveyor mechanism, as seen on the line 55 in 1, the clamps thereon, however, beingra moved.

G is an enlarged detail section on'the line 6-6 in Fig. 5.

Fig'. 7 is an enlarged detail section on the line 7-7 in Fig. 1, and, y

Fig. 8 is a detail sectional view, substantially on the line 8-8 in Fig. 2.

Referring nov.7 more particularly to the drawings, and by reference characters, 10 designates the trarne of the machine in which is journaled a shaft 11 and a drive shaft 12. rEhe shaft 12 is provided with an idle belt pulley 13 and an active belt pulley 14, adapted to turn the shaft,`and is also provided with a pinion 15 which meshes With and drives a Thus when the machine is inv operation a constant rotating motion will be impartedto the shaft 11. y

A. large Igear 17 having a hunting^ tooth 18 on one side thereoi2 is secured on the main shaft and close to it the lower end of a radius bar 19 is trunnioned on the shaft. rEhe up- L( see 5) to the lofver end oia a link 2OI zgear 16 on the shaft 11.k

secured various semil no.' EaP/,eea

Whose upper endL is secured to a rigid part of the main frame, asat 21. A. stud shaft 22 (see especially Fig. 6 'is secured in the upper end ofthe radius bar 19 and on it is rotatably mounted a member .having` a jgear pinion E23 at one end and a sprocket 2a at the otherend. rEhe 'pinion 23 meshes with the gear 17 but itis somewhat Wider so that the huntingtooth 18 mayA mesh with and move the pinion 23 once for everyrevolution it makes. Tivo kor the teeth in the'pinion 23 are partly cut'away` (see Fig. @Where the 17 would normally engage, sov that when thatpartof'the pinion comes to the gear side the pinion remains motionless until the hunting tooth 18 again reaches the pinion and starts it on another revolution. Thus an intermittent rotating movement is imparted to the sprocketvpinion 24, and the determination of thev timing when said movement shall' be executed can be slightly adjusted by moving the radius bar 19 slightly' down on the link 20.

On the right end portion ot the shaft 11 is secured a camy channel member 2.5, in which a 'follower 26 is caused to reciprocate, in a longitudinal direction with respect to the 'mac/hine. and actuate a horizontally .movable cutting; knife and mechanism, soon to be described. Next `to `the member 25, and on the shaft 11, is also secured as prockety pinion 27, Which,.throu the medium oi' the' chain 9.8 drives pinion 29 on a crank shat't 30. At the entren/.leende oi: the main shaft 11 are a pair of cam plates 31, having irrefrular flanges, between which earn followers 32 operate, and by so doing imparta variable, vertical reciprocating motion tol `a plunger Ytrame 33.

A pair of parallel ang-le irons 34 extend Jfrom end to end and are rigidly secured to the main frame. y A pair of cross beams 35, secured transversely'under the channel irons, have bearings at their ends in which are journaled two conveyor shafts 36. Each shalt 36 has a sprocket gear 38 ,at each end and the respective gears on both shafts are in -,turn connected. by sprocket chains 39, one of which meshes With and is driven by the pinion 241. A series (preferably about'seven) of angle iron cross members 10 are secured at their ends to the sprocket chains 39, and oneach of said'cross members are secure three potato holdingA clamps, Which preferably range in size so yas vto accommodate sizes of potatoes.

vFlach yoli Y said clamping members consists of a stationary jaw 4l and a hinged jaw 42 the latter being held yieldingly shut by a spring 43. A platform 44, having holes is secured on top of the angle irons 34, and provides a horizontal support for the upper run of the conveyor, the holes 45 allowing the potatoes to be punched down to the cutting knives. The cutting knives mentioned are those shown in Fig. 4, and consist of a centrally arranged longitudinal knife 46 and three pair of cross knives 47, one pair tor each plunger.

Theplunger trame 33 consists ot two vertically slidable end members 48 and a horizontal connecting` beam 49, the former carrying the cam followers 32. A number of springs 50 tend to hold the trame 33 up so that the cam members 3l will act downward on the followers at all times. A set of plungers 5l (see F ig. l) are secured to the beam 49 and are so positioned and shaped that they will engage over thepotatoes placed in the clamps 4l, (when the latter reach the proper position) and force them down through the openings 45 and knives 47 with the result that they are cut up vertically into pieces.

Means for cutting` the potatoes horizontally is also provided, and consists ot a knife 52 secured on the upper ends of two sliding bars 53. The lower parts ot the bars 53 are slidably mounted on the angle irons, and are rigidly connected together at their other ends by a bracket 54 which carries the cam follower 26.

Near the right end ot' the machine is secured a pair of vertical cylinders 55 having slidably mounted therein a. pair oit pis tons 56. Said pistons have their upper taces slanted (see Fig. 8) and are connected by connecting rods 57 to the crank ot the crank shaft 30. Each chamber 55 is further pro vided with a receiving trough 58 and a delivering trough 59. which, when the piston 56 moves upward delivers the potato, if one there is, in the cylinder 55 to a plunger chamber 60, under which is located the longitudinal knife 46 and single cross knives 6l. A plunger 62 is provided :tor each chamber 60 and is secured to the trame 33 so that it will punch potatoes .fed into the chamber 60 down through the knives 46 and 6l for every downward movement of the plunger frame.v

it the front of the machine, where the workman stands, is provided a large hopper or uncut potato pan 63 into which the potatoesto be cut are filled. The pan is lower and is narrower at its middle,v as shown in lilig.k 2, so that the worker can readily pick the potatoes out of the pan and insert them, according to size, in the proper part of the machine. ln the two angles .of the cut away or narrow part of the pan 63 are secured a ifiesfiee and the general operation ot the whole ma@ chine will now be tort-h more in detail.

its the clamping` members 41-42 come up from the under run otl the conveyor and start toward the giungere 5l the oaerator'slios the potatoes into the clamp being ot the bestsize for each particular potato. .tny potatoes thought too small tor the clamps are dropped into the troughs 53, rolling down to the pistons 56. During this time the cam followers 32, (see Fig. move 'from positions to l); in the cam, thus not moving the 'trame 33 down all. The next movement otl the shaft ill moves the pistons 56 up, so that the potatoes in the chambers 55 tall into the chambers 60, moves the filled clamps ell-42 directly over the holes 45, and brings the plunger trame 33 down so that the plungers 5l rest on top ot their respective potatoes and the plungers 62 are ready to cut their respective potatoes. The ftollowers 32 are now at position C in the cams 3l. During the movement of the cams from C to D the Ytrame 33 is motionless as this part ot the cam is an are 'trom the center ll. During vthis last mentioned movement. however, the cam 25 imparts a long sweeping motion to the lfollower 26. thus causing the knit'e to sweep rapidly across between the first two (or large) plungers 5l and the clamps immediately therebelow, and cut the potatoes horizontally and approximately in halt.

The knife 52 now remains in its extreme right hand position until the cams 31 move the followers 32 from D to E. This movement gives a quick downward movement to the frame 33 causing all the plungers 5l and 62 to punch their potatoes'through the knives 46, 47 and 61. As the followers 32 guide from E toy F on. the cams 3l they then allow the frame 33 to jump up to itsr uppermost position immediately atter which the cam also causes the knife 52 to swing quickly back to its idle lefthand position. lt will be understood that the conveyor remains motionless while the plungers 5l are engaged therein, due to the two cut away teeth in the pinion 23which disengage's the' gear 17 during part of its movement, as

above Vdescribe lt rwill also be readily understood that the above described operations repeated eentinually, the operator the while feeding the potatoes into the machine until as many as desired are cut up into seed. The cut seed will ta-ll down onto the shaft ll and thence onto the iioor or into suitable receptacles placed under the machine.

lt is further understood inodiiications may be made in the general design and structural details or this invention, `when so desired, and when such inodiiications come within the spirit and scope ot the appended claims: lilaving` now therefore fully shown and described my invention, what l claim to be new and desire to vprolect by Letters lDatent is:

i. in a machine or' the class described, a frame, stationary cutting lrnives -inounted in the trarne, a conveyor adapted to convey potatoes to a position adjacent the cutting lrnives, plungers adapted to orce saidpotatoes through said cutting lrnives, and amovable knife adapted to pass between-the conveyor and plungers 'for cutting; the potatoes at right angles to the stationary cutting knives.

2. ln a machine oi thev class described, a frame, a plattform mounted on the traine and having; apertures, knives secured below said apertures, means 'for feeding potatoes to positions over said apertures. and plungers adapted to `torce said potatoes down through said apertures and knives.

3. ln a machine or' the class described, a horizontal platform having apertures thereY in, vertical knives positioned below said apertures. means for feeding potatoes to and yieldingly hold them in a position over said apertures, and means for forcing said potatoes down through the knives so as to be out thereby.

4. ln a machine oit the class described, a series or vertically arranged intersecting; knives, means for yieldingly holding potatoes over said knives, means tor cutting the potatoes horizontally while in ingr means. and means for forcing; s y toes out of the holding means and down throirqh the vertical knives after said potatoes have first been out horizontally.

5. in a machine or the class described, a stationary cutting device,

a conveyor adaptthat suit able y vice.

ed to yieldingly hold potatoes and inoveA t-nein to a position adjacent the cutting device, means for intermittently actuating the y conveyor so as to place potatoes in said position periodically, and means for removing the potatoes when in said stated position and 'forcing saine through said cutting` .de-

6. ln al machine or the class described, intersecting ,cutting knives arranged vertically and *'idly in the machine, clamping,` members arranged on a conveyor movable over the knives, said clampingniembers `being adapted to` yieldingly hold` potatoes, means for intermittently actuating saidconveyor so that said clamping members will at predetermined intervals remain momentarily stationary when over said knives, and plungers adapted to torce said potatoes i'roin said clamping'meinbers and down through the knives at said intervals.

7. In a machine or the class described,

a cutting cevic'e, a housing arranged near the cuttingdevice, a piston adapted to 'reciprocate in the housing, and a trough leading from the housing to the'cutting device.

8. ln a machine of the class described, a cutting' device, a delivering trough leading to the cutting device, a receiving trough, a reciprocable piston arranged between said troughs and being adapted to deliver potatoes from the latter `to the iorme'r.

9. in a machine of the class described, ra cutting' device, an inclined delivering` trough adapted toy deliver potatoes to the cutting device, an inclined receiving trough mounted with its lower end below the upper end of the delivering trough, and means for raising` potatoes from the lower end of the receiving trough to the Aupper end of the delivering trough.

l0. In a machine oit the class described, a cutting device, a delivery trough leading to the cutting device. a reciprocal piston arranged at the receiving'endor' said trough, said piston having,` an vinclineduipper surrace, as and for the purpose speciiied. y in testimony whereof I aix my signature. 

